What is your role at Medxcel?
I take care of a lot of day-to-day requests, replacing ceiling tiles and lights, painting, and taking care of plumbing issues that come up. I do a lot of painting, I spend a lot of time getting spaces ready to be used, I’m sort of a jack of all trades. We have a small crew since it’s a small hospital, there are two of us and our manager, so we all pitch in a do a lot of different things.
Describe the path you took to arrive in your current role.
Out of high school I started in construction and then moved into a variety of maintenance positions. At one point I was driving about 1000 miles a week between locations doing maintenance. It was a great learning experience. I learned to interact with a variety of people, and I worked on facilities and equipment that were from different decades. That experience working with older equipment has served me well throughout my career. During the pandemic my brother and I went out on our own doing residential electrical work and when that work slowed down, I looked for my next opportunity. I live in rural Tennessee, and I’d been fighting traffic driving back and forth to Nashville for years. I found the opportunity with Medxcel that didn’t involve me fighting traffic every day and I figured that hospitals aren’t going anywhere, and so healthcare seemed like a great place to start the next part of my career.
Why did you decide to join Medxcel?
I ended up receiving an offer from Medxcel and another organization at the same time. I remember my (now) boss telling me how great the benefits are at Medxcel, and I decided to take the position. I can tell you after being here over three years, the benefits are spectacular, my boss was telling the truth.
What is the best part of your job?
The benefits here are great and so are the people. I’m so glad I decided to work here. The people here are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. From the day I started everyone has been so nice and welcoming. This is a very nice, healthy place to work for me mentally. People are always happy to see each other. It’s a small community and everyone knows each other, it makes this job worthwhile.
How do you feel Medxcel impacts your community?
This hospital is in a rural area, and it is a very large part of the community. Many of the employees have spouses that also serve in the community, in law enforcement, the fire department, or as an EMS. It’s such a small community that everybody knows everyone else. The hospital seems like the anchor of the community, I enjoy how everyone knows each other, how close knit and caring the community is, and how this hospital is at the center of it all.
How does you work, or the work of your team, impact patient care?
We’re thought of as working behind the scenes, but everything we do impacts the patients. When you come to the hospital the landscaping and the cleanliness and brightness as you enter make up your first impression. Things like dinged paint, broken ceiling tiles, and lights that are out, those are the kinds of things that can make people worry about the quality of care they’re going to receive in the facility. We help maintain a nice environment, we provide plumbing and electrical that works, and air conditioning and humidity controls. Comfort is so important to hospital patients, and everyone is comfortable at a different temperature. Whether the patient likes their room at 65 or at 85, we want units that can provide that comfort in every situation.
How would you describe the Medxcel culture?
The culture here is very welcoming, everybody is always ready to help each other out. Everyone is so nice, and you can tell it’s a great place to work. When you need help there’s always someone available and willing to assist you.
What types of training and development have you taken advantage of?
I love training and I’ll take advantage of any training available. We had a new nurse call system installed and they provided us with a two-day class to learn about it. It’s been a year now and I still refer to my notes from the training. I’ve also participated in the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) training when it was first getting off the ground, it’s a great program. It was helpful to get insight from professionals in a variety of areas like heating and electrical.
What would you say to someone who asks you if you recommend working for Medxcel?
I definitely recommend working here, it’s a great culture and the benefits are outstanding. I’m so glad I took this job and joined Medxcel.